Andrea's journey to a healthier lifestyle

Then & Now

Igniting her drive for life

“I struggled with my weight from about the age of 12,” the newly wed from Melbourne says. “But when I decided to lose weight in the run-up to my wedding, something ignited inside me. I thought that if I can do this, I can do anything. Now I know anything is possible, and every day I’m proving myself right.”

Confidence to pursue a new career

Before her wedding to Oscar, Andrea worked as an accountant. Now she’s combining that with the launch of her online fashion boutique Andali.com.au and working as a Wellness Coach.

Forging new paths for her future is something Andrea would never have believed possible just a short while ago.

“WW has had a positive influence on all aspects of my life,” she says. ‘It’s this ripple effect of showing myself – and others – just how strong I can be. It’s a powerful force and has opened me up to all sorts of possibilities – including appearing in a WW video!

Her inspiration to get healthy

Andrea’s journey began back in January 2017 when she was trying on wedding dresses with her mum and sister.

“They said I looked beautiful but when I looked in the mirror, all I could think about was how big my arms looked and how many chins I could see from every angle,” she recalls. “I thought, ‘I can’t feel like this on the most important day of my life.”

Andrea joined Digital

A busy working life meant the bride-to-be went for Digital which fit into the wedding budget. Andrea found the WW app super convenient.

“As an accountant, I’m a numbers person so the idea of tracking SmartPoints® appealed to the control freak within! I still use it every day to see where I’m at, while Connect is fantastic for reading inspirational stories if I’m having an off day.”

Her last dress fitting

At her last wedding dress fitting, Andrea’s dressmaker wasn’t very happy with her. “She said, ‘Andrea! You really shouldn’t have bought a size 14; a 10 would have been perfect.’ I turned to the mirror and couldn’t believe how beautiful I looked,” she says.

“The dressmaker was pinching the dress in and saying, ‘We’ll have to take it in here, and at the waist, and there’, and I looked at my body and I thought, ‘Wow, this is it. This is what I wanted.’ I know it sounds silly, but I got emotional. It made me cry tears of happiness that I could finally look in the mirror and not be so depressed by the reflection in front of me.”

Inspiring her family to get healthier too

A year on from her wedding, Andrea’s success in maintaining her weight has inspired both her family and Oscar’s to live more healthily, too.

“Both our families are from El Salvador and we love our traditional food. With just a couple of tweaks like not deep-frying but using spray oil for example, we can enjoy our favourite dishes that mean a lot to us culturally. We can get together as a family and enjoy ourselves without missing out.”

It means a great deal for this family-orientated woman to have her loved ones involved. Mum Mayra has lost 7kg through the program (“She was in tears, she was so happy”) and mother-in-law Ana happily cooks South American food with Andrea – just in a healthier, WW way.

“The whole family has embraced this way of living,” Andrea says. “Tucking into ZeroPoint™ – such as my luxury weekend treat of oysters, or eating prawns and chicken breast – so that I feel full but am still losing or maintaining weight is just fantastic.”

Incidental activity adds up

When it comes to exercise Andrea is the first to admit that apart from occasionally doing weights at the gym, she prefers to build incidental movement into her days. “I’m on my feet a lot during my daily routine,” she says. “I walk a great deal, especially when I’m coaching, and use up loads of energy cleaning my house.

“As long as I track my movement and food, I make progress. Otherwise, it would be like walking blind. It’s not about being strict and thinking you can’t eat this or that. You can. You just have to be accountable for it.”

The best version of herself

Andrea’s passion for her new way and her determination for success in every aspect of her life is infectious!

“I feel like I’m now the best version of myself,” she says. “I’m not worried about anyone else. My world’s opened up to a whole new range of opportunities so I’m concentrating on the little wins that will make a big win. I’m focusing on growing my business and, if all goes well, having a child with Oscar down the track. Achieving that weight-loss goal taught me that I can hit every goal I’ve ever dreamed about. Life is all about moving forward and I don’t intend to stop.”

3 things I’ve been inspired to do:

1. Start an online fashion store

I never would have had the confidence before, but Andali.com.au is a dream come true.

2. Grow vegies

I’ve started a vegetable patch with lots of beautiful greens and fresh herbs to add extra flavour to my food.

3. Cut negative people from my life

I simply won’t waste time on naysayers anymore.

Day on a plate

Breakfast: Skinny cappuccino and a couple of pieces of fruit. I have a light breakfast as I prefer to save SmartPoints for the evening when I eat with Oscar.

Lunch: Tuna in springwater with rice and steamed vegies or chicken soup with lots of vegies. I add a South American touch to the soup by adding chilli and an egg.

^Six-month pre-post study on 152 participants, conducted by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Weight Research Lab. Study funded by Weight Watchers. Sleep data and happiness data reported by trial participants after 6 months on WW Freestyle based on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire.

Comparing the weight loss after 6 months for WW Digital members who joined in the first 8 weeks of 2018 vs. those who joined in the first 8 weeks of 2017.